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Gather ’round people because we’re in for one of the longest stories in MMO history. By now, unless you know nothing about the genre, you should know that World of Warcraft ruled the MMO landscape for years. Yes, there’s a lot of competition nowadays, but this is the game that started it all. However, with so much content arriving yearly, keeping up with it can be tough, especially for lore enthusiasts. So, buckle up, adventurers, because we are about to dive into every WoW expansion in chronological order.
[Updated on December 27, 2024: Added the game’s latest expansion and edited some of the information to line up with WoW’s current content]
1. World of Warcraft (2004)
Before you throw us into the Dark Portal, yes, we know this is an expansion. However, we deem it necessary to talk about the game that started it all. If we’re looking at all WoW expansions in order, it’s only fair to talk about the base game that just got a re-release as WoW Classic. This entry takes place after the highly acclaimed RTS games Warcraft III and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.
Years after the previous games, the orcs of the Horde have opened their doors to the Forsaken, Tauren, and Trolls. On the other side of the pond, the Alliance is encompassed by Dwarves, Humans, Night Elves, and Gnomes. The main plot revolved around a Dragon controlling the court of Stormwind, which led to one of the game’s most iconic raids. Here’s a fun fact: Leeroy Jenkins will turn 20 years old next year.
2. The Burning Crusade (2007)
Alright, we can now officially kick off the list with the first expansion. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade launched in 2007. It was the next big adventure, and players were as hyped as possible. Instead of a new area within the confines of Azeroth, we were going to Outland now, the homeland of the Orcs.
This expansion introduced Blood Elves and Dranei for the Horde and Alliance, respectively. Besides, it saw the return of beloved characters from the RTS, such as Illidan Stormrage, in one of the game’s most iconic raids: The Black Temple. Overall, this was a great expansion that dragged many more players to the already famous MMO.
3. Wrath of the Lich King (2008)
Ask any WoW players, and they’ll tell you that Wrath of the Lich King was the best expansion ever. Furthermore, many think this is when the game hit its golden era before it all went downhill. And we agree with that. This expansion had everything. The return of Arthas Menethil as the Lich King. The game’s best and most iconic raids until now. One of the MMO’s most satisfying patch cycles ever. It was the full package.
Beyond that, we also got the first hero class in the shape of Death Knight. They were the counterpart of Paladins and fit perfectly with the game’s aesthetic and the expansion’s plot. Most of us joined during this time and are actually sad to see WoW Classic abandoning Northrend to bring the Cataclysm, which leads us to the next expansion in chronological order.
4. Cataclysm (2010)
Cataclysm will always spark debate among the fan base. On the one hand, the whole world of Azeroth got a revamp. Starting areas got a renovation. Most iconic zones got interesting changes due to Deathwing rampaging through Azeroth. It was a great sight for many. Add to that two new races, and players were mostly happy. On the other hand, we saw the downfall of the story. The plot was lazy, and some iconic characters had terrible development through it.
While the patch cycle for this expansion wasn’t bad, it didn’t feel as tight plot-wise as previous expansions. We were dealing with the elements first, then a cult, and finally Deathwing. Yes, we know Blizzard likes to throw new stories here and there, but it felt disconnected. Still, it seemed like there was hope beyond the misty landscape of the game.
5. Mists of Pandaria (2012)
Keeping up with the order of WoW expansions, we have Mists of Pandaria, which saw the addition of a new continent. We also got a new race for both factions and the Monk class. Overall, it seemed like a great time for anyone to join the MMO. If memory serves us well, this was also the best time for PvP content in the game, and this expansion also had great PvE content like the Isle of Thunder. However, the plot was another big issue for the game.
The expansion started strong with the whole fantasy of exploring a new land and seizing its resources. However, as the patch cycle came, the story took a lot of turns. Garrosh Hellscream became a criminal and used Old God’s power to try and conquer everything. The final raid in Orgrimmar was fun, but that’s about it.
6. Warlords of Draenor (2014)
We can all agree that time travel and alternate realities can make or break a franchise, and the latter happened for Warlords of Draenor. This is, for many, one of the worst expansions of WoW‘s history (yes, there’s a worse one). It had the shortest patch cycle, a terrible story, and a housing-like feature that got abandoned, but hey, we got HD chest hair for human characters, so that’s a win, right?
If we had the powers of Garrosh Hellscream, we would like to delete Warlords of Draenor from the chronology of WoW expansions, but we can’t. Still, the developers learned from their mistakes and worked hard to make amends. The content drought was horrible, but a familiar green light arrived to save the MMO for a while.
7. Legion (2016)
Legion was a breath of fresh demonic air for many. The Burning Legion was back, and it was the time to destroy it for good. We took the fight to them and lost many iconic characters in the process, with a few others taking the spotlight in the most surprising and unwelcoming way. Still, beyond the convoluted and cringy plot, the gameplay was top-notch.
What made this such a successful expansion was the focus on class fantasy. Each class felt important due to the Class Hall systems, artifact weapons, and class-specific storylines. It was so good that we wouldn’t blame anyone if they had a character for each class and wanted to see the story. Sadly, all good things had to end, and they did abruptly.
8. Battle for Azeroth (2018)
The Alliance versus Horde conflict is a tale as old as time, and we went back to it. However, this time, it was helmed by Anduin and Sylvannas. The latter is a character who has lost all respect in the fan base (more on that later). At first, it seemed like we were in for a normal plot, but that wasn’t the case.
It didn’t take long for the developers to include one of the fiercest Old Gods in the game’s lore, and instead of giving it its own expansion, we faced it in one small patch, and that’s it. The expansion felt underwhelming in every way. The one thing we rescued from it was the addition of more Allied Races that were liked by many, but that’s it.
9. Shadowlands (2020)
Keeping up with the chronological order of WoW expansions, we have the worst one in the history of this MMO. It was so bad that most players know this period as the WoW exodus when many players migrated to another famous game. Shadowlands killed what little plot credibility the game had left. Sylvannas beat the new Lich King, story retcons around every corner, more borrowed power that would be useless in upcoming content, and so on.
There’s nothing good we can say about this expansion. All systems were a mess, abilities were badly tuned, and the plot was the worst the game has had. However, the loss of its player base, reputation, and credibility made the developers work hard and give gamers a new beginning.
10. Dragonflight (2022)
The last released expansion for WoW in chronological order is Dragonflight. This one abandoned the over-the-top plot for a more grounded one and gave players a new sense of adventure. In the Dragon Isles, adventurers allied themselves with Dragons and took it to the skies to explore and help this new place.
This expansion had simpler quests. It saw the return of talent trees, which disappeared years ago. Class builds were fun once again. We got a new race and class, which are quite fun to play. So far, it seemed like a new beginning for the MMO, and we are happy about it. The expansion was so successful that the company has already announced a saga with three upcoming expansions and an over-arching story.
11. The War Within
It may sound ironic, but the expansion that led us to the depths of Azeroth is the one that brought World of Warcraft to new heights. The War Within is the start of the World Soul Saga, which promises to tie up many of the plot points we’ve seen in the MMO for years. Story aside, TWW is brimming with content, including delves, Warbands, hero talents, and many more.
Where Dragonflight felt like a slow-paced journey to bring the game back to its roots, The War Within elevates everything by expanding on playable content and class identity and bringing back the fun WoW is known for.
12. The World Soul Saga (2025 and Beyond)
The War Within has already kicked off the World Soul Sage and will continue with Midnight and The Last Titan later. While there isn’t a lot to know about the two remaining expansions, there are a few details regarding Midnight already, such as player housing and its general plot points. However, we don’t know what will lead us to it, as TWW is still ongoing.
And now that you know the chronological order of all WoW expansions, don’t be afraid to jump on them. Some might be hard to play right now, but every quest is still in the game. Whether you want to return to simpler times or ride a dragon at sound-breaking speed, this MMO has that and more.
